DETROIT -- Two pitches into his warmup for his spot start against the Tigers on Thursday, Mariners right-hander Adrian Sampson felt discomfort in his right elbow and stepped off the mound, causing manager Scott Servais and the training staff to pay him a visit.
Sampson was pulled before the first pitch of the game, and left-hander Vidal Nuno became the official starting pitcher. Nuno allowed four runs in 3 1/3 innings and Seattle used five more pitchers, with Steve Cishek -- who threw a bases-loaded wild pitch in the 10th inning -- the last one. The Mariners fell, 5-4, ending their 2-8 road trip with a four-game Tigers sweep.
Sampson (0-1, 7.71 ERA), who was scheduled to make his second career start in favor of the injured Wade Miley (shoulder), said he had thrown about 35 pitches in the bullpen prior to taking the Comerica Park mound, and he felt slightly fatigued afterward, but thought it was normal for a bullpen session.
"I came out to warm up again when I was out there, and just felt a little discomfort in the right side," Sampson said. "There was no pop or anything, I just had a little discomfort, and I felt it would be best to just come out of the game."
Sampson had UCL surgery in 2009 when he was in high school, but said this was something completely different. He said there were no signs of the injury leading up to Thursday's start, just typical soreness after his last start.
"Obviously, this is disappointing to have this right now," he said. "We'll check it out when I get back home and see how it goes."
Sampson is now the fourth injured pitcher in Seattle's starting rotation, joining Miley, Felix Hernandez (right calf strain) and Taijuan Walker (tendinitis in his right foot).
• Injuries put rotation in flux
On top of dealing with the depleted starting pitching, Servais is now concerned with the bullpen, which had to pitch the entirety of Thursday's 10-inning loss.
"[The bullpen] is a mess," Servais said. "We're a trainwreck. We'll have to figure that out."